Publish date:: Jan 26, 2009

For the Record

Author:: SI Staff

Created
By the PGA Tour's Northern Trust Open, an annual exemption in honor of Tour trailblazer Charlie Sifford (above) for a minority player who represents the advancement of diversity in golf. In 1960 Sifford became the first African-American to be granted PGA Tour membership; he won two Tour events in his career, including the '69 Los Angeles Open. Beginning this year that tournament, now called the Northern Trust, will reserve a spot in its field for a minority player who would not otherwise be eligible. This year's Northern Trust will be next month at Riviera Country Club in L.A.

Disclosed
By NCAA president Myles Brand, that he is suffering from pancreatic cancer. Brand, 66, made the announcement through a statement at the NCAA convention, which he was unable to attend, in Oxon Hill, Md. Brand, who was president of Indiana from 1994 through 2002, took charge of the NCAA in '03. Under his leadership it has introduced several academic reforms, most notably the annual Academic Progress Report begun in 2004. Brand began chemotherapy recently; there are no immediate plans to name a successor.

Died
Of a heart attack at age 72, former light heavyweight champion Jose Torres. The native Puerto Rican won the Olympic light middleweight silver medal for the U.S. in 1956. Torres knocked out Willie Pastrano for the light heavyweight title in '65 and was champion for 21 months before losing to Dick Tiger; he retired in 1969 with a 41-3-1 record. He was later chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission and wrote acclaimed biographies of Muhammad Ali (Sting Like a Bee) and Mike Tyson (Fire and Fear).

Died
At age 85, former manager Preston Gomez. The Cuban-born Gomez's big league playing career lasted all of eight games—as a Washington Senators infielder in 1944. But he became the Dodgers' third base coach in '65, and in '69 he was named the first skipper of the expansion Padres. After three last-place finishes, Gomez was fired in 1972; he later managed the Astros and the Cubs. In '81 he joined the Angels and remained a fixture in the organization as a special assistant until last year.

Questioned
By the federal prosecutor seeking to have Roger Clemens indicted for lying to Congress, Brian McNamee, the seven-time Cy Young Award winner's former trainer. Last year McNamee told a House committee that he had injected Clemens with steroids. Clemens told the same committee he had never used steroids, prompting a grand jury investigation of his testimony. McNamee's meeting last Friday with Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Butler was his first with the prosecutor; he did not speak to reporters after the five-hour interview. His lawyers said they don't know when McNamee will be called before the grand jury, which last Thursday heard from former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who pleaded guilty in 2007 to steroid distribution and is also believed to be a key witness against Clemens.

Qualified
For the Australian Open, 13 years after she retired, Japan's Kimiko Date Krumm (left). She won seven events in seven years on the WTA tour and in 1995 rose to No. 4 in the world ranking before retiring a year later. After playing in exhibitions against Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova last year, Date Krumm, 38, decided to make a comeback. She lost her first-round match in the Aussie Open to 25th-seeded Kaia Kanepi, 23, of Estonia 6--4, 4--6, 8--6. Said Date Krumm, who hopes to qualify for the remaining Grand Slam events this year, "It was a good fight."

Suspended
After his DWI arrest early last Saturday morning, Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido, the winningest coach in Division I history. Garrido, 69, was pulled over in downtown Austin and arrested after allegedly failing a field sobriety test. He was suspended indefinitely by Texas later that day. Garrido, whose coaching career began in 1969 at San Francisco State, joined the Longhorns in '96 and led them to national titles in 2002 and '05. He has 1,668 career wins.

They Said It

JOHN GAGLIARDI
St. John's football coach, 82, on his job security after 56 years at the Division III Benedictine school: "The monks give me a lifetime contract. But if we start losing games, they can give me the last sacraments and declare me dead."